Silent Siren "S" Album Review

As a whole, the four-female member band Silent Siren is an exemplary piece of the modern Japanese music puzzle. Although the members, Suu (Sumire Yoshida as Vo & Gt.), Hinanchu (Hinako Umemura on Dr.), Ainyan (Aina Yamauchi on Ba.), and Yukarun (Yukako Kurosaka on Key.), all started off as fashion models in Japan, their passion and talent for music has helped them gain attention from music lovers across the globe since their inception in 2012.

Full of rich vocals and stirring melodies, their fourth studio album, “S” was released on March 2, 2016 reaching the number three spot on the Oricon Weekly Album chart; marking the third consecutive time that the group debuted with an album within the top ten.

Although released as part of a previous single, their cover of ZONE’s 2001 hit song, “secret base ~Kimi ga Kuretamono~” blew me away with the group’s rendition of it. Used for the live action Anohana special, it managed to keep the same haunting resonance of the original while changing some of the instrumentals to make it just as memorable; effectively “owning it” in their innovative own way. If you’re a fan of Anohana or emotionally chilling music, this composition alone makes the price of admission well worth it.

Other particular notable on the album includes the CM, “Hachigatsu no Yoru” that was used for the “Vantan Design Kenkyuujo Summer Seminar,” the highly energetic “Cherry Bomb” and “milk boy.” For anyone looking to download the album through a distribution network like iTunes, be forewarned. Only a partial album is available on the digital music store and unfortunately, “secret base” was omitted from both the “S” album and “Hashigatsu” single so if you’re looking for it, purchasing a physical edition is a must.

While I personally hadn’t heard of the group until my chance encounter with them at the J-POP Summit Festival 2016, in San Francisco, I’m really looking forward to seeing the performance group again when they return to the United States this fall at Los Angeles (9/30) and San Francisco (10/02) as part of their World Tour. This will, most importantly, mark the first time that the group will be performing outside a convention in America so fans should definitely pay attention to these Lives.